Khetapata

Khetapata was a city of Ancient Egypt built during the New Kingdom era circa 1257 BC. The city was established on an island not far from the mainland of Egypt, and was built in competition with the Greek settlement of Leprera. After a short war, Khetapata gained dominance in the area.

History
Khetapata was built under the supervision of pharaoh Amenemope during the New Kingdom era of Egypt. Khetapata included a Temple of Ra, monuments to villagers, soldiers, priests, pharaohs, and gods, markets, lighthouses, homes for civilians, and other important buildings. The city was expanded down a road flanked by three watchtowers on each side, and led to a rural area with a few logging and mining camps and granaries where the laborers worked for the colony. In addition, there was a barracks, another temple to Ra, and a lighthouse on the western shore of the island next to the camps. The city of Khetapata developed as laborers built several buildings, taking advantage of the large supply of gold on the island. There were not many animals save for a few domesticated sheep, while the villagers had to rely mainly on fishing perch off the shore.

Khetapata's very existence was forged in bloodshed, as the Greeks of Leprera to the west fought with the Egyptians over their colony. The Egyptians, led by Amenemope himself, fought bravely. The Egyptians summoned meteor storms that destroyed much of Leprera, and their landing forces burnt down the last town center to the southeast of the island, forcing their surrender.

Khetapata existed as a city for hundreds of years, and it flourished under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire and Macedonian Empire later on. Khetapata was conquered by the Arabs in 640 AD, when they landed on the island and forced the Byzantine garrison to surrender. The Arab Muslims saw the temples as sacreligious, so they destroyed them. The city's temples were looted, and Khetapata became a minor village. Soon, most of the people left the city for mainland Egypt, and the Copts mostly converted to Islam.